Tractor sprayer



y 1952 B. ESSICK 96, 73

TRACTOR SPRAYER Filed Feb. 8, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 4 f? w T INVENTOE HTTOENE) May 13; 1952 B, ESSICK 2,596,473

TRACTOR SPRAYER Filed Feb. 8, 1947 2 SHEETSQSHEET 2 HTMENEV Patented May 13, 1952 TRACTOR SPRAYER Bryant Essick, Los Angcles, Calif., assignor to Essick Manufacturing Company, Los Angelcs, Calif., a corporation of California Application February 8, 1947, Serial No. 727,398

11 Claims. 1

This invention has to do with a tractor sprayer, that is, with a machine combining in a unit a tractor and spraying apparatus, and it is an object of the invention to provide a machine utilizing a standard or conventional tractor and spraying apparatus involving certain structural features such as adjustments which, combined with those available through the tractor, provide a unit which is simple, effective, and highly practical in operation.

Spraying apparatus or spraying devices are being used extensively in agriculture, and it is now particularly common to use such apparatus in the control of weeds. Itis, of course, common to use tractors for various purposes. However, ordinarily when an ordinary tractor is employed to propel spraying equipment the spraying equipment requires a wheeled support and the assembly is usually complicated and cumbersome and is limited as to utility.

. It is a general object of my present invention to provide, as a single, compact, unit a tractor and spraying apparatus in which the tractor forms the sole support and carrier for the spraying apparatus. Through the structure that I have provided I combine a conventional tractor and commercially practical spraying outfit in such a manner that the spraying outfit is wholly supported and manipulated from the tractor, making special supporting means for the spraying apparatus wholly unnecessary.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide a unit involving a spraying apparatus including features of adjustment and a tractor supporting the spraying apparatus, the support from the tractor being through adjustable means which, combined with the adjustability of the spraying apparatus itself makes possible overall adjustments which are highly advantageous in the practical handling and operation of the spraying apparatus.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a machine of the general character referred to in which the spraying apparatus, as such, is simple and compact, being free of cumbersome or complicated elements accommodating it to the tractor and in which the tractor, as such, is in no way impaired or complicated, with the result that it is available for use in the ordinary manner upon the spraying apparatus being detached therefrom.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of typical preferred forms and applications of the invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a typical machine embodying the present invention, showing the spraying apparatus supported by the tractor in position to be transported thereby. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the tractor shown in Fig. 1, being a View taken as indicated by line 2--2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the apparatus taken substantially as indicated by line 3-3 on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken as indicated by line 44 on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed sectional view taken as indicated by line 5-5 on Fig. 4.. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed sectional view taken as indicated by line 6-6 on Fig. 2 at the rear end portion of the tractor, showing the manner in which the spraying apparatus is coupled and related to the tractor. Fig. 7 is a plain view taken as indicated by line !1 on Fig. 6 and Fig. 8 is a view of a portion of the spraying apparatus showing another formof construction.

In accordance with my invention I am concerned generally with a machine which includes a tractor and a spraying apparatus, and I am not specifically concerned with the form, details or construction of either the tractor, as such, or the spraying apparatus, as such except as these elements involve features entering into my machine. In the drawings I have, for example, shown a typical tractor and a typical spraying apparatus and I have shown these typical units combined into a machine embodying my invention.

The tractor as shown in the drawings is of typical form and construction and involves, generally, a body A supported at its forward end by wheels B, and at its rear end by wheels C. The forward end portion of the body includes a power plant or engine I!) while the rear end portion includes power transmitting elements such as a differential H, and a housed drive l2 extending rearwardly to the differential.

The particular tractor illustrated in the drawings is characterized by a couplin means at the rear end portion of the body A, which coupling means normally serves to provide a draft connection for ordinary farm implements. The means illustrated in the drawings includes a pair of arms M pivotally connected to the body of the tractor at l5, power means [6 for operating the arms l4, and a stabilizing link H. The arms 14 are preferably alike and are spaced apart transversely of the tractor at the rear end portion thereof so that they project rearwardly from the tractor. The particular arms illustrated terminate at a point rearward of the rear wheels C of the tractor. Further, in the particular case illustrated the arms M are pivotally connected to mounting brackets 18 depending 'from the axle [3.

The operating means [8 for the ,arms I4 is provided to,- swinger operate the arms I4 in unison 7 so that their outer ends can be moved to various points above the ground over which the tractor operates. The means I6 is a power means, that is, it is operated from power derivedirom. the tractor and it includes poweroperated levers l9 coupled to the arms M by 'connectingrods l L I ing apparatussmce it is an element of the spray- "ing apparatus that is coordinated with the ad- In the arrangement illustrated the levers l9are located on the upper portion or side of the body' of the tractor at the rear end portion thereof and the links 20 are swivelly connected tothelevers and are pivotally connected to the arms 14 so :that they ,extenddOwnwardly and rearwardly from the levers to th'e arms asclearly, illustrated i in Figs. 6 and? of the drawings. It will be apfiparentthatturning or swingin of the levers l9 ("byjpower'available in, the tractor causes'movej. mentor swinging of thearms l4 due to the'cou- [pling of thel arm s with thelevers through the nks 2l l'. .F,urtl ler,,it is to be understood that any ult'able' controllmeans may be provided for the I ley'ersflll' in,,acc ordance with the construction .ponnnon 'toidevices of thischaracter. Y'Ihe stabilizing link I! is preferablya single link locatedgentrally of the tractor and prefer- "Qabl bovej'the, arms I4. In'the articular case "llustrated the link l1 has its inner or forward -.end,' coupled to a pivoted bracket 2| by a pivot 'zggtnemraeket being pivoted to the tractor o'd'y 'A'by' pivot pin 23. A suitable shock abbrlb'ingQs'pn g 241s .coupled to the bracket 2| as clearly illu' sjtrated in Figs. 6 and '7 of the drawings. The,sprayingdapparatus, as illustrated in the awin'gs', isicharacterized by atank 25, a support2'6for tank, a spray distributor 27, ad- .iustable mounting means 28 for the spray dis- 'ributor,;press ure generating means 29 supplying peratingjpressure tolthe tank, supply means 30 etweefi',the.tank andthe spray distributor, and cti'ng mejans Slfbetween the tractor and the M rn e p ar t ;fIhe ,ta'nk '25 ;may, be any suitable vessel or J; eptacle., .that will properly handlethe material to, be sprayed. ,Wher'e air under pressure is employed'to-propel the spray it is preferred that the tank be agclos'edvessel as l have shown in the a l drawingsjg' The; 'particulartank 25 illustrated thrgughout the drawings is a cylindrical tank gclosedat. its .ends. and arranged horizontally so 1 that itextends transversely of the machine. It is to be understood, of course, that the tank may be provided with a filling opening 33 and other accessories as may" be necessary. jlfhe, supportgforthe tank may involve front and rear legs 34 and 3 5, resp ctively, whichede- 7 pend fromthe tanklandlwhich may be provided with feet 36, In ,the case illustrated each leg is r vformed by a platedependingfrom the tank and extending parallel with the tank 50 that it is a transverse ot the machine. The legs are stabi- V lized by asuitable brace 31.

The spray distributor 21 may, in practice, be varied widely in form and construction, depending upon, the spray to be handled or the character of Work to be performed. In the drawings I have shown typical forms of spray distributors [j which are suchthatthey can. be adjusted horizontally.--The spray distributor illustrated in Figs. 1 to '7 of the drawings is shown extending horizontally at the rear of the machine and the particular distributor illustrated involves a plurality of horizontally disposed pipes to adjustably held by suitable holders Ill and provided with suitable spray nozzles 52. The holders, as shown in the drawings, are clamp devices which when released allow the pipes to be slid or adjusted horizontally to vary the positioning of the nozzles carried thereby. When the spray distributor is properly adjusted the holders are set, preventing relative movement of the pipes M1.

[The adjustable mounting 28 for the spray distributor 211s an important feature of the sprayjustabilityaiiiorded by the arms l4 that support the spraying apparatus from the tractor. The

* means 23 affords bot-h angular and vertical ad justment of the spray' distributor relative to the other parts of the spraying. apparatus In the form of-theinvention illustrated in Fig. 3uthiS vadjustment is obtained by pivotedbrackets carrying-thespray distributorwhereas in the other figures of.-the drawingsl show aform of this means involving mounting brackets gathat... are

bodily 'shiftablerverticallyr This; latter form of adjustable means is clearly illustratedinFigs. 4

and, 5 wherein I. showaabracket, arm .59 supportintegrallyconnect-ed or joined,- that is, the imay' ing the holder 4! of means 21,..abracket arm 5i engaging therear side of therear leg 350i means 25, and releasablefasteners 53lsecuring the arm 5! with the leg 35. .flhearms 5B. and 5|; may be be. formed of,a.single body of material shaped as desired, and the desired vertical .adjustmentmay be gained by. providing vertically spaced. openings 55. formingfguideways initheleg toaccommodate. the, fastening .means; 53." ,The-fastening means 53 may. be;simple..bolts screw.sthreaded into suitable-nuts 54 operable in..the,-;guideways t at c n b a ly..;o era d.a d w-arran .the ts n-th euidewayiopen nes 55 it issues- Q e t oqate the: d str bu rsu pertinszarms 5B a .1,an ,..de$i me s m d s d-t arm 5.9 m b list -s spray distributor 21in ,a position ang ularly -,re-

n'1eans 2. t ispivotallyiiconnectedIto ,the leg'tfrl of 7 apparatus is operating as; shown in. -do

ad u d posi i 7 r r' Thepress'ur .se lQrat nemeans i9rm ube. any

lated orI inclined to }th surface vover-wh in Fig. 2 of 'the. .drawings. "lnntheliorrnofjthe invention illustrated iniFi-g...8. the arnr 5.6 101" the means 26 by' a pivotedlpin"file-land 53a i p o ided tQb lQth am 5 lathe-d si Suitable Structure ma h netl at-wiltserve to drive h sbrf r ns appa a s n. the ase i l trated I show spraying apparatus to be driven by'compressedair, inwhich case the means 29 involves a prime mover or engine GS dP-ivmg a ..suitable.;air. compressor: 6 l provided viith suit- 3 ,able; control; and Jreg-ulatingmeans 1 and con- 1 nected tattle-tank: Z5. toucleliverfair Lthereto in th desired man r.

. flhe e lm y me nsq at :between. the .tanksand 'J." pr yd t ibu or m y. b any, suitable connec ppe ly :handle. spray so, that it i l ve e irom the tan to.t e.spray .d istributor; In the" ase illustrated;a,mai1r;id ,line; 10

thatthe structure just described may be provided with suitable control and regulating means, as may be required. l

The connecting means 3| that I provide between the tractor and the spray apparatus is a simple means serving to connect the arms [4 and link ll of the tractor with the spraying apparatus, preferably with the tank thereof. In the preferred form of the invention the means 3| involves a pair of depending brackets 80 on the tank 25 carrying pivot pins 8| by which the outer ends of the arms M are pivotally connected to the brackets and a bracket 82 projects from the side of the tank at the middle of the machine and toward the tractor to carry a pivot pin 63 that pivotally connects the outer end of link I! with the tank.

Through the simple, dependable parts just described the tank 25 of the spraying apparatus is coupled to the tractor so that as the arms I4 of the tractor are moved through th power means IS, the spraying apparatus is bodily adjusted vertically and it may be moved from a position where the feet of the means 26 rest on the ground over which the tractor operates to a fully up position where the spraying apparatus is spaced a substantial distance above the ground. The means 3| together with the arms [4 and link I! of the tractor couple the tractor and the spraying apparatus so that the spraying apparatus is not only carried or conveyed by the tractor but is readily adjustable vertically relative thereto through the power of the tractor. This adjustment of the spraying apparatus bodily relative to the tractor through the power of the tractor coupled with the adjustability of the spray distributor incorporated in the spraying apparatus itself affords complete adjustment of the spraying apparatus to the end that all ordinary working conditions are effectively met.

I may provide a stop means to limit downward movement of the spray apparatus so that as the machine is operated the operator will not accidentally allow the spray'apparatus to drop either to the ground or to vegetation over which the apparatus is being operated. In the drawings I show a stop means 90 which involves a simple, transversely disposed stop bar 9| secured to the forward leg 34 by a releasable fastener 92 so that it occurs above the arms Hi. The fastening means 92 may be simple bolts engaged in selected holes provided in the leg 34. By providing holes at various points vertically in the leg 34 the stop bar 9| can be located in any desired position. When the stop bar is in place, as shown in Fig. 6, it overlies and will engage the arms l4 upon the spraying apparatus being lowered a predetermined amount relative to the tractor.

Having described only typical preferred forms and applications of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination, a tractor having an arm pivoted thereto and projecting therefrom and having power means operating the arm in a vertical plane, unitary spraying apparatus including a tank, a spray distributor, and means mounting the spray distributor on the tank to shift vertically relative thereto, and means coupling tank of the spraying apparatus and said arm for vertical adjustment of the entire spraying apparatus by the arm.

2. In apparatus of the character described, a tractor, an arm pivotally carried by the tractor and projecting therefrom, power means carried by the tractor and operating the arm vertically, a unitary spraying apparatus including a tank, a spray distributor, means by which the distributor is adjustable horizontally, and means mounting the spray distributor on the tank for vertical adjustment relative thereto, and a coupling between the spraying apparatus and said arm through which operation of the arm adjusts the spraying apparatus vertically.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a tractor, and arm pivoted to the tractor and projecting rearwardly therefrom, power means operating the arm vertically, spraying apparatus including a tank, a ground engaging support for the tank depending from the lower portion thereof, and a spray distributor carried by the support, and means coupling the spraying apparatus and said arm for support of the spraying apparatus by the arm and for vertical adjustment of the spraying apparatus by the arm to move the ground engaging support into and out of ground engaging position.

4. In combination, a tractor having a pivoted arm projecting rearwardly therefrom and having power means operating the arm vertically, unitary spraying apparatus including a tank, a support for the tank depending from the lower portion thereof, and a spraydistributor carried by the support, and means coupling the bottom of the tank and said arm for support and vertical adjustment of the apparatus by the arm including. a bracket depending from the bottom of the tank and pivotally connected to the arm.

5. Apparatus of the character described ap- V plicable to a tractor having a pivoted arm projecting therefrom and power means operating the arm vertically including, a spray carrying tank, a spray distributor, means pivotally mounting the distributor on the tank to move vertically relative thereto, and means mounting the spray carrying tank on said arm for vertical adjustment thereof.

6. In combination, a tractor having a pivotally mounted arm projecting therefrom, power means operating the arm vertically, and a stabilizing link pivoted thereto and projecting therefrom, spraying apparatus including a tank, the spray distributor carried by the tank, and means coupling the arm and the tank for support and vertical adjustment of the apparatus by the arm, and means pivotally connecting the tank and stabilizing link.

'7. In combination, a tractor having a pivoted arm projecting therefrom and having power means operating the arm vertically, unitary spraying apparatus including a tank, pressure generating means carried on the tank, and a spray distributor mounted on the tank for adjustment relative thereto, and a releasable coupling between the spraying apparatus and said arm.

8. In apparatus of the character described, a tractor having a pivoted arm projecting therefrom and having power means operating the arm vertically, a unitary spraying apparatus including a tank, ground engaging supporting legs depending from the tank, and a spray distributor carried by one of the legs, and means releasably coupling the spraying apparatus and said arm for vertical shifting of the spraying apparatus by the arm to move the legs into and out of engagement with the ground.

9-; In apparatusb ithccharacter gdesoribed, a

and mounting means for .the'szdistributor mount- -.inglit on 'the rearmost Ieg. fonverticaiadjustment. i 10.':Apparatusiapp1icab1eitoziaatractorthaving a pair of rearwardly-aprojecting-pivoted armsr-and Y mpower 'means operatingfsthe .armse-irerticallyx ini'cluding; a stabilizifigflink: pivoted omthegtractor and cooperativelyx'related to-gthe arms ofthe -tractor, z'and "a: unitary spraying? 1'. apparatus inc1uding,iatankp'br'aokets on:the tank,. meansreyleasably "pivotallyzconn'ecting ithefi'arms: and link to thehrackets; depending legs On the tank, a

- pressure generatoifimounte'd on the'itanh a'Ispray distributor; supply means gconnectinggithe tank and distributor, and-mountinameans: for -;thel distributor tslidablyzmounting it on:the:1tearmost leg for. vertical adjustment :reIatiVe'theretO.

11. In. combination, ia tractor including" a; pair of rpearwardly iprojejcting: 1- pivoted-J arms, power means izsimultaneouslygzoperating the 'armsjver ticallyp andnai stabilizinggllmk pivoted at: a point above the iarms,"and'a 8 v sprayingapparatusinclum ing, an elongate horizontaltank.disposed-transversely of the tractor atthe-rearthereofyspaced *brackets onthe tank to which the arms andlink 'are releasably pivotally connected; spaced'depending ground engaging legs on the tank extending longitudinally thereof; a pressuregenerator'on the tank, a spray distributor, supply "means connecting the tank and distributor," and mounting means for the distributor pivotally mounting it on the rearmostleg for vertical-adjustment relative thereto.

"- BRYANFI -'ESSICK.

REFERENCES CITED =*The --fo11owing-referencesjare of reeoruiii the 1 -fi1e of "this patent:

" Number :iUNITED,STATESIPATENTS 'oTHEa REFEREN'eEs 7 Ford Tractor Equipment News'fforTWinter 

